Must Read Advice for First Time Visitors

Still smiling even when Space Ranger Spin stops moving.

               Planning a trip to a Disney Park is intense, especially if it’s your first time. Luckily there are plenty of books, websites, and friends who have plenty of advice on everything from the best restaurants to good Fastpass strategy.
                   I won’t waste your time by repeating the same advice you have read everywhere else. I will tell you the single most important piece of advice I have that truly will make or break your vacation: be ready for when things go wrong.
                  It is inevitable that at some point during your vacation, something will happen that threatens to derail your entire trip. You will miss a bus or tram, a ride will break, you will get stuck behind a parade, it will be to hot or rain. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but it will be enough to put your family in a bad mood that will ruin the rest of the day if you let it.
                  Even Disney experts have bad luck in the parks. During our last family trip to Disney World, we started the week off at the Magic Kingdom. We had a carefully crafted plan that would get us on all of the bigger rides first thing in the morning before the lines got long. Well, that plan fell apart 20 minutes in when both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain were closed.
                  We could have let this get to us.  Instead, we took our que from Tigger and tried to be “bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.” Instead of focusing on how the rides we wanted to get in line for were closed, we got in line for the nearest one: the Haunted Mansion. Knowing how to bounce back when something goes wrong is the real key to a vacation that your family will remember for all the right reasons.
                   If you miss the bus, use it as an opportunity to look for hidden Mickeys while you wait. If a ride breaks, move on to the next one and come back later. Stuck behind a parade, instead of bemoaning your bad luck, enjoy watching your favorite characters walk by. If it is too hot or raining, get a Dole Whip or find an indoor show.
                   In the end, everything will work out just fine as long as you stay positive and try to “find the fun” as Mary Poppins would say. By the time Splash Mountain was open, there was a huge line that we did not want to get in. We had Fastpasses for the Haunted Mansion which is why we had intended to skip it earlier. When we got to the line, we found out that the Haunted Mansion was closed and we would be able to use our Fastpasses on any ride we wanted during their scheduled time. We chose to use them for Splash Mountain.